and Other Serious Questions
AskColorado is Colorado’s 24/7 virtual reference service, provided and staffed by public and academic libraries across the state. It began operation in September 2003 and has shown constant growth. Librarians now handle on the average 4,500 transactions a month. A single transaction may include multiple questions. Our software is provided through Tutor.com, with whom we also contract for off-hours and holiday staffing. AskColorado offers services in both English and Spanish. A Quick History and OverviewAskColorado launched on September 2, 2003 with a staff of approximately 225 reference librarians from public and academic libraries across the state. In its first year the service handled 23,301 transactions. That number increased to 52,693 in 2006. Nearly 5,000 sessions originated from a state other than Colorado and just over 1,000 came from outside the United States. Clearly, the service is increasingly seen as a vital resource by state residents, expatriates and travelers, and even foreigners interested in the state of Colorado. Patrons are presented with four options when they go to AskColorado. They can select General Questions, College Research, Kids and Teens, and Espanol. Their selection routes the question to the appropriate queue. Each queue is staffed by 1-5 librarians at any given time. Public librarians handle all general and K-12 questions. College research questions go to the academic librarians. Spanish language questions are routed to Tutor.com’s Librarians by Request in Espanol. During busy times, usually in the afternoon, wait times can be as long as five minutes. AskColorado has increased its staff to approximately 350 librarians from over 60 libraries to handle its phenomenal growth. Next: AskColorado Committees |
Please direct website questions to Karen T. Pardue
RUSA
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